16305/When Big Brains Collide!

When Big Brains Collide!
Date of Scene:	11 November 2023
Location:	Battery Park City
Synopsis:	Two Spiders meet an Atom and friendships are forged... after bad guy butt is kicked, of course.
Cast of Characters:	Julia Carpenter, Ray Palmer, Peter Parker

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Julia Carpenter has posed:
It's early evening, Friday. Which means it's terribly busy for all the cops and heroes running around. Weekends are always busier! More tourists, more travellers, and more people just being stupid human beings. Which is to say, a jump in crimes happening!

In a crazy coincidence... Atom, Arachne, and Spider-Man all catch the same call. Rash of muggings and assaults being called in from Battery Park. Specifically, the parkland just north of it. All three respond, along with cops that need to be dodged. They find a series of gang members that are acting in small groups to perpetrate multiple crimes at the same time in different locations, making it more difficult for the cops to get a pin on them.

Three heroes, however, that's a different problem! With each 'cell' being chased by a hero, they converge on a single location... and so do the heroes! Let's see what happens.

Ray Palmer has posed:


Shrunk to a comfortable six inches tall or so, The Atom had been following his particular crew of ill-tempered, hopefully not mutated, definitely NOT sea bas - hooligans stealthily. A hop-glide here, scuttling under bushes, once he even used a goose and her six chicks as cover as they waddled self-importantly along. He waited until the suspects became perps, because, well...you really shouldn't beat someone up because they LOOK like a thuggish jerk, of course timing is crucial.

Ray's sudden appearance as they made their bid to divest a young lady of her valuables came long before things could get beyond 'Gimme yer purse!' to darker areas. Thugs being bullies, they're not very brave as a rule. The Atom leapt off the back of a bench, then turned a somersault so he could power dive at the would be assailant, resuming his full size to thump the guy but good. *Thwak!*

The obvious display of powers (and the fall of their leader) started a chase with Atom herding the lads away from their intended victim (and coincidentally towards the freak confluence to be!). "Seriously...guys...mugging people in **Battery** Park...a littttttttttttle on the nose, don't you think?"

Peter Parker has posed:
"What is /with/ these criminal flash mobs?" Spidey demands of no one in particular. The webslinger flies over the city at his best speed, weaving a fast path over the buildings and flinging himself with great bursts of speed and momentum. "Why can't they just show up at a museum and leave people really confused or something?"

"Spider-Man!" someone shouts, and points skywards. One of the muggers rather stupidly looks upwards and for his trouble, catches two red parkour shoes in his face. It knocks him out cold and Spidey pins him to the sidewalk with a *splat* of webbing.

"Hey, thanks kid!" he tells the youth, and vaults upwards with an explosive spring strength in his lanky legs. Mid-swing he shouts 'WOAH' and contorts himself violently, avoiding a knife flung upwards at him. Spidey lands close to Ray, or at least near enough that he sees the pint-sized superhero laying out one of criminals.

"Hey, you're not Doctor Pym!" he blurts out.

Julia Carpenter has posed:
Julia was about to call in an order at Gino's to grab pizza to take home to Rachel when the call came in. Sighing, she puts that thought on the back burner and texts Rachel that she'll be a little late with the pizza but to not start the movie without her!

Then she's slinging over towards the parkland, just a few blocks away from where she is anyways. Catching up with her own group of bad guys, she perches in a tree and tsks at the men as they chase after a young couple.

Dropping down between the couple and the thugs, she offers a smile to the trio of men, "Hi there, boys! Now why would you want to bug a nice couple like that!?" Conjuring up a bunch fo the lightly glowing web tendrils, the lets them wave and waggle about to spook the thugs. Too well, apparently, as they shriek and take off.

Giving chase, Julia couldn't be more surprised when her trio converge on the others... and she sees both Atom and Spider-Man. Punching one of the thugs with a nasty right that sends them spinning to the ground, she throws out a glowing web to send another to the ground, trapped and squirming. "Fancy meeting you two here! Don't suppose you know each other?"

Ray Palmer has posed:


Now, The Atom is not super strong, or super resilient, and doesn't have any personal powers save the ability to withstand the rigors of his flavor of shrinking - but he IS a trained fighter, he's actually competent at ye olde art of pugilism, and he's very good at his use of Shrinking. He manages to dodge a punch, then blocks wild stab from one kid with a knife, punching him solidly in the sternum, and dropping him with a very textbook right hook.

A grin over to Spider-Man. "No, no I am not. I'm Doct...errrr..." And then Julia shows up, and he shrinks as another thug tries to brain him with a length of lead pipe and ends up off balance as Ray returns to normal size and sends the guy ass over teakettle to the ground. "Oh, hi Arachne!" A little wave.

Which unfortunately for the guy lets another thug armed with a chain wrap it around his throat. "--GURK!?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man backflips forwards and kicks Ray's assailant square in the face. Before the thug hits the ground he gets restrained with a rapid double-shot of webbing that slaps him firmly to the pavement. Spidey doesn't waste a moment, smoothly cartwheeling through two thugs and giving one a one-two kiss to the face with the flat of his foot.

"Oh hey, 'Rachne, what's up," Spidey tells Julia convivially. Like they're not right in the middle of a gang fight. "You're The Atom, right? How do you two know--" Spidey pauses to trade punches with another thug and lays him out with a textbook straight-cross combo. "--know each other?"

Julia Carpenter has posed:
Laughing lightly, Arachne leaps straight up, kicking out front and back, dropping two last thugs to the ground. She lands neatly and sends shots of webbing out to wrap them up neatly in little 'blankets' of magenta webbing.

"Hi Atom, nice to see you aagain. Spider-Man! He and I shared a rooftop for a few minutes. Had a nice chat." Julia glances around to see if there's any lingering thugs, then turns back to the two men and grins. "You know, I'm surprised you two haven't hooked up yet! You're both extremely intelligent, love science, pop culture... you should hang out, have pizza, share ideas!"

Ray Palmer has posed:
Once that thug is kicked in the face, Atom grins. "Thanks!" He shrinks up as another thug dives in a bid to tackle him, wincing as the guy instead knocks himself out by 'tackling' a wrought iron light post. "Oh, sure, I mean...we met, there was this weird mishap, and a comms cross-link, and---yes, met, on a rooftop." He resumes his normal size. "It really is strange we've not met before, Spider-Man, I mean, of COURSE I know who you are. I don't buy that malarkey the Bugle likes to spew. And yes, science, science FICTION, scintillating repartee, awkward silences and HEROICS!" He grins at both spiders, looking at the various thugs in different stages of beat up. "I could call for the cops - 'CLEAN UP, aisle 9-1-1'?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Spider-Man can definitely work and talk, and he never stops moving as he webs up the last of the fleeing criminal crew with some well-aimed webSPLATs and webbing triplines that end up with them hoisted in the air like a snared rabbit.

"Hey, that's great to hear!" Spidey tells Atom with an enthusiastic cheer. "Man, JJ Jameson gives me the /business/," he complains. "Every day, it's 'arrest Spider-Man', 'Webbed Menace'." He growls under his breath. "I feel a lot better when I hear not everyone's buying his particular brand of BS, y'know?"

Julia Carpenter has posed:
Julia can't help but chuckle to herself as the pair get going. Giving one of the wrapped thugs a nice glowing webby mouth covering to keep him from bitching. She starts grabbing up bad guys and lumping them together into a pile that will be easier to pick up for the cops.

"General rule of thumb for me, Atom... never call the cops while you're still on the scene. It's such a crapshoot on whether they'll be glad for the assist..." she nods to Peter, "or someone that *likes* JJ and his propaganda."

Smiling at Peter, she nudges his shoulder with her own and grins, "We're with you, SPider-Man, never fear. You're definitely not swinging alone these days."

Ray Palmer has posed:
Drifting slowly to the ground, Atom lands, then grows to his full six feet and helps gather the fairly impressive amount of thugs into neat piles, sorting by gang affiliation and degree of injury. "Well, doesn't look like anyone is in need of urgent care, so there's that." He grins to the spiders to either side. "JJJ is a bit too rabid in his vehemence, he's very much obsessed with you, Spidey, I can call you Spidey, right?" He asks hopefully. "I think a News Man should be impartial, dedicated to the Truth." A snort. "Branded BS, I like that. Today's flavor 'ancient flop with a side of hubris'!"

When Julia offers her advice, he nods a little uncertainly. "For whatever reason, don't ask me which, the police seem to be pretty okay with me. Granted, I don't have a major newspaper declaring me a menace, in fact I seldom make the news, I'm not all that famous." A bright smile. "I'll bear that all in mind, however!"

Looking to the pair of spiders, he looks thoughtful. "So...do you guys want to grab some pizza or...ooh...there's a great Mediterranean place just around the corner...?" A hopeful smile, full of dimples. "MY treat, of course."

Peter Parker has posed:
"Well you can't call me Jameson, that name's taken," Spidey quips. "But yeah. Spidey's fine for friends." Arachne's comment gets an appreciative nod. He takes the momentum of Arachne's shoulder-check and falls off the light pole with a comical spill, only to absorb the impact into a perfect standing roll and pop up smoothly next to The Atom. Spider-Man sticks a gloved hand out to offer a firm handshake.

"It's good to meet you, Atom," he assures the scientific superhero. "I don't think I can stay for a meal, unfortunately. I've got to get home for my day job," he apologizes with a remorseful chuckle. "No rest for the weary. But next time you're in my neck of the woods-- churros?" he offers. "There's a great bodega on 122nd that makes the best churros."

Julia Carpenter has posed:
Arachne chuckles and lifts a shrug towards Atom, "It's all about perception and media. The Spiders actively have a whole new source blaring hatred and rage their way. If you're a Bugle man, and also a cop.. that bias tends to carry over."

Grinning at Spidey's pratfall, she laughs softly and shakes her head, "You could do kids parties... you know, like in Ghostbusters 2... make some extra holiday money." Then she's nodding to Spider-Man's need to go. "Yeah, unfortunately I should be getting back as well. Responsibilities you know. BUT. Spider-Man, you're still on the hook for dinner. No wiggling out. It's gonna happen."

Looking back to Ray, she smiles, "I'm sure we'll cross paths again soon. And in that instance, I will take you up on the offer of food. I love good Mediterranean. Especially Greek."

Ray Palmer has posed:
Atom blinks a couple a times trying to parse why on Earth, ANY Earth, he'd call Spider-Man 'Jameson', then snorts as he realizes (once again) he's overthinking things. "Oh, right, /Spidey/." He rather likes being tacitly deemed a friend! One can never have too many friends. Ray definitely appreciates the sheer athleticism that the spiders display, the fall into a roll ending with them shaking hands. "Great to meet you too! If you ever need me, here's an email address you can use." He hands the man a business card with just that, an email address.

"Ooh...who doesn't love churros?" The shake gets firm, and then he smiles to Arachne as she too has to take her leave. "Man, I'm glad to be off of Jameson's radar." He laughs about the parties. "Make sure to give all the kids cans of silly string so they can 'web' you too." He nods understanding. "Well, I have some work I could do too, I suppose. There's ALWAYS work." He smiles. "Greek fare? Absolutely! You're on." Since the others are going to take off, he stays behind, and calls for the cops, /then/ goes back home.

"Two out of two spiders nice...that's a good ratio..."